Bellevue Legal News: Seattle Divorce & Domestic Violence Lawyer

Divorces Rates Fell In 2009 – Change Could Be Caused By Weak Economy

The divorce rate fell in 2009 – and many think that the change in rate could be due to the continuing weak economy. In the states that reported their 2009 divorce rate, the number fell from 3.5 divorces per 1,000 people in the United States to 3.4 divorces per 1,000 people. In 2007, the divorce rate was 3.6 divorces per 1,000 people.

The rate of marriages and the rate of births also went down in 2009, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, leading experts to believe that the economy was stopping Americans from going through these three live experiences at normal rates.

First and foremost, divorces can be expensive, and many couples who want to legally end their relationship may be waiting for the economy to improve or may be waiting for more financial security before calling their divorce lawyers and going through with the process. Other couples may be struggling to keep their house or find themselves with an underwater mortgage – two factors that would make divorcing financially difficult and logistically more difficult. Still other couples may be dealing with unemployment or a smaller salary, two factors that would convince couples to stay together until one or both found work or made enough to support themselves.

Of course, others note that the divorce rate has been dropping steadily even before the economic downturn, and could simply be part of a continuing trend of better marriages. Since the surge in the divorce rate in the 1970s, more people are waiting longer before getting married and making better decisions both before and after deciding to tie the knot. Still, the depressed economy could also be having an effect on those who want to move on or those who simply grew apart.

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